WNBA executive committee meets, Stewart says players still unified amid CBA talks

MEDLEY, Fla. (AP) — Breanna Stewart, who teamed with fellow WNBA star Kelsey Plum on a letter to the players' association this week expressing concerns about the state of labor talks with the league, said Wednesday she feels better about where things stand and is convinced players are still unified in what they want in the next collective bargaining agreement.

And the union, later Wednesday, released a statement saying the league's latest offer “is not worth taking" — with less than a week remaining until the deadline for getting a deal done and preserving a full 2026 WNBA season.

Stewart was part of a call with other members of the players' executive committee on Tuesday night, hours after the letter that she and Plum wrote to WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson — one where they expressed “serious concerns about how (the union) is handling the current negotiations.”

Several media outlets, including The Associated Press, obtained copies of the letter, which was dated Monday.

“The call made me feel better," Stewart told AP, speaking after her Mist team finished its final shootaround practice in advance of Wednesday night's Unrivaled championship game against the Phantom team that features Plum. “Sometimes hard conversations need to be had. I felt better after it and know that we finished that call understanding that we’re representing the larger body (of players) and we have work to be done and we’re going to do that work.”

The union — in a statement from its executive committee, of which Stewart and Plum are members — echoed Stewart's comments in its statement, saying it remains “united and focused on delivering a transformational CBA ... and are committed to negotiating for as long as it takes.”

There is obvious urgency to get a deal done.

The WNBA has told the players’ union that it needs to get a deal in place by this coming Tuesday to start the season on time. That would allow the new CBA to be written and signed by the end of the month, which would in theory be followed by expansion drafts for the new franchises in Portland and Toronto during the first week of April. Free agency would follow, signings could start on April 12, training camps would open about a week later and the season would begin May 8.

The league and the players have been unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement since the union opted out of the previous deal.

Stewart and Plum are in unique roles; both are vice presidents of the players' association, both are among the biggest names in women's basketball, and both have been dealing with the CBA uncertainty while on Unrivaled playoff runs with their clubs.

“I’ve always approached anything in life, any adversity, by staying in the game,” Plum said after shootaround Wednesday, when asked about simultaneously dealing with an Unrivaled title push amid the WNBA's labor uncertainty. “I'm a human being. It's hard. I definitely have moments, but at the end of the day, I know my heart. I know I’m super excited about tonight, and when you work all year for something, you want to finish it.”

Added Stewart: “We've been in CBA negotiations for more than just the past two weeks. It’s been 17, 18 months. I don’t know exactly how long. And to be able to compartmentalize that hasn’t been easy.”

In the letter, Stewart and Plum said WNBA players “are at one of the most consequential moments in the history of this league” and called upon Jackson to provide many things, including:

— a detailed breakdown of the WNBA's expenses and revenue.

— analysis between the potential losses players would face in a delayed or strike-shortened season vs. the gains that could be earned through a new CBA.

— player opinions on the WNBA's latest proposal.

— clarity on the rookie salary scale.

— an explanation of what Jackson thinks the executive committee's “role and responsibilities should be in this process.”

Stewart said it wasn't her intention for the letter to get out publicly.

“This is a letter that was meant for Terri, and for the EC, for us to really have a conversation and stay strong in all the things that we’re negotiating, and I believe that we are,” Stewart said. “We are still unified and understanding what we’re fighting for and that’s the messaging that we had on our call last night. ... Our main goal is to make sure that we have the best possible deal for all players.”

AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg in New York contributed to this report.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Phantom BC guard Kelsey Plum (10) drives past Vinyl BC guard Erica Wheeler (17) during the second half of a semifinal in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Phantom BC guard Kelsey Plum (10) reacts after making the game-winning shot during the second half of a semifinal in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Vinyl BC, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Mist BC wing Breanna Stewart (30) celebrates with teammate Alanna Smith (8) after scoring during the second half of a semifinal in an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Breeze BC, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Mist BC wing Breanna Stewart (30) chases down a loose ball during the second half of a semifinal in an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Breeze BC, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

MADRID (AP) — A diplomatic tussle between the United States and Spain over the war in Iran intensified on Wednesday when the governments exchanged contradictory statements over the possible use of Spanish military bases by American armed forces for operations in the Middle East.

Moments after a White House spokesperson said the Spanish government in Madrid had agreed to help the U.S., Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares came out and flatly denied that the European government had changed its position.

“I can refute (the White House spokesperson),” Albares told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”

The disagreement broke out on Tuesday when Trump said that he was going to “ cut off all trade with Spain,” a day after Albares said that his government wouldn’t allow the U.S. to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the U.N. charter. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that his government wouldn’t “be complicit in something that is bad for the world.”

Albares denied that his government had reconsidered its posture on the use of the bases on Wednesday evening in Madrid shortly after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said “with respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear.

“And it’s my understanding over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military," Leavitt had said. "And so I know that the U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.”

Sánchez, widely regarded as Europe’s last major progressive leader, has called the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran an “unjustifiable” and “dangerous” military intervention.

Sánchez again criticized the U.S. and Israel's military actions in Iran early on Wednesday when he made a nationally televised address. While not mentioning Trump by name, Sánchez stood firm against trade threats from Washington and warning that the war in the Middle East risked “playing Russian roulette” with millions of lives.

“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values ​​and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez expressed concern that the attacks on Iran could lead to another costly military quagmire in the Middle East, similar to the past American interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In short, the position of the government of Spain can be summarized in four words,” Sánchez said. “No to the war.”

After Spain denied U.S. use of its bases, Trump on Tuesday said “we could use their base if we want,” referencing the Rota and Morón installations in southern Spain that the U.S. and Spain share, but which remain under Spanish command.

“We could just fly in and use it,” Trump said. “Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it, but we don’t have to.”

It wasn't clear how Trump would have cut off trade with Spain, which is a member of the European Union. The EU negotiates trade on behalf of all its 27 member states.

When asked in an interview with CNBC whether a trade embargo with Spain would be possible, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Wednesday “it would be a combination effort." He didn't explain further, but said Spain's refusal to allow the U.S. to use its bases in the weekend attack on Iran endangered American lives.

“Anything that slows down our ability to engage and prosecute this war in the fastest, most effective manner puts American lives at risk,” Bessent said. “The Spanish put American lives at risk.”

The EU said that it would protect its interests and work to stabilize its trade relationship with the U.S, with which it struck a trade deal last year after months of economic uncertainty over Trump’s tariff blitz.

Tuesday's threats from Washington were just the latest instance of the U.S. president wielding the threat of tariffs or trade embargoes as punishment. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs, saying emergency powers don't allow the president to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs.

However, Trump maintains that the court allows him to instead impose full-scale embargoes on other nations of his choosing.

Spain's main business groups expressed concerns over the trade threat, calling the U.S. a “key partner from an economic and political standpoint.”

“We trust that our trade relations will ultimately not be affected in any way,” the Spanish business chambers CEOE, CEPYME and ATA said Tuesday.

Last year, Spain's central bank issued a report that concluded Europe's fourth-largest economy was relatively cushioned compared with the EU average when it came to exposure to tariffs by Trump.

Spain’s exports and imports with the U.S. accounted for 4.4% of gross domestic product, the Bank of Spain said, while trade with the U.S. for the EU as a whole was 10.1%.

Exports of Spanish goods to the U.S. accounted for 1% of Spain's GDP, or 16 billion euros ($18.6 billion), the bank said, making it Spain’s sixth largest export market for goods. Pharmaceutical products, olive oil, refined gas and electrical transformers are among Spain's main exports to the U.S., according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Spain’s position on the Iran conflict is the latest flare-up in its relationship with the Trump administration.

Sánchez was an outspoken critic of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and attracted Trump's ire last year when Spain backed out of NATO’s pledge to increase defense spending by members to 5% of GDP.

Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain, and Aamer Madhani from Washington. Sam McNeil contributed to this report from Brussels.

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)